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Brainspotting

Benefits of Trauma-Informed Therapy

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What is Brainspotting?

Brainspotting is an offshoot of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy. It is used to help individuals access, process, and overcome trauma, negative emotions, and pain. It is based on the premise that "where you look affects how you feel," suggesting that our field of vision can access and affect deep emotional and somatic (body-related) experiences.

The Brainspotting approach makes you the expert on yourself, while the therapist is there in a supportive role. The goal is Brainspotting is to access your self-healing capabilities and help process stored trauma and painful emotions.

How does Brainspotting work?

Brainspotting targets the right hemisphere, the limbic system, and the brain stem (midbrain). It seems to bypass the “thinking” cortex of your brain and is thought to directly access the deep parts of your brain involved in emotional regulation. A trained Brainspotting practitioner will support you to scan your visual field to locate a “brainspot” – an eye position that activates trauma or negative emotion.

Brainspotting is a practical type of therapy and contrasts with ongoing talk therapy because Brainspotting is more immediate and short-term. Some clients find their issues resolved after a few Brainspotting sessions. Others find Brainspotting is an effective add-on to ongoing talk therapy. In addition, counseling and psychotherapy can further enhance the progress made in Brainspotting sessions.

The Brainspotting Session

Brainspotting sessions are typically held once a week for 60-minutes.

By identifying a brainspot, you target an area of focused activation in your brain directly related to the issue you are working on. Then, while you concentrate on that brainspot and notice your bodily sensations, you can process negative emotions to help rewire your brain to more positive associations and feelings.

This processing may be done using headphones and listening to music that rhythmically goes back and forth from left to right side. Engaging both hemispheres of your brain with this music, called bilateral auditory stimulation, can have a very calming effect on your nervous system. Brainspotting attempts to reprocess negative emotions by focusing on your body-based sensations rather than your thoughts. Brainspotting is a type of guided mindfulness within a supportive environment.

What is Brainspotting?

The Brainspotting Process

Review the Benefits

Brainspotting has been embraced by many therapists due to its reported effectiveness in accessing and processing trauma, especially when other methods might not have been effective.

Step 1

Setup

Like most therapy sessions, brainspotting begins with the therapist creating a safe environment. The client's current feelings and issues are discussed.

Step 2

Identification of the Traumatic Experience

The client selects a specific trauma or distressing experience to process. They might be asked to rate the distress level of that experience on a scale of 0-10.

Step 3

Finding the Brainspot

The therapist moves a pointer in the client's field of vision and observes the client for reflexive signals, such as eye twitching, swallowing, or other subtle reactions. These cues suggest the therapist has located a brainspot associated with the trauma.

Step 4

Processing and Observation

Once a brainspot is identified, the client is asked to focus on it, noting any feelings, thoughts, or sensations that arise. Bilateral sound (alternating audio tones between the left and right ears, sometimes using headphones) might enhance the process.

Step 5

Closing the Session

After processing, the therapist will guide the client to a neutral or positive state. They will discuss the client's experience during the session, and the client might be given grounding exercises or self-care activities afterward.

The Brainspotting Process

Who benefits from Brainspotting?

Brainspotting was initially developed as a valuable treatment for trauma. But, this type of therapy can be helpful in any situation where thinking can get in the way of performance, such as creativity or sports performance. In addition, it’s excellent for the overthinkers and those with high anxiety because it bypasses your brain’s “thinking” cortex.

Brainspotting allows for nonverbal processing since you can talk as much or as little as you want. Focusing your thoughts on the issue at hand, and noticing your bodily sensations as you are doing it, is an excellent alternative to traditional talk therapy.

Brainspotting is beneficial if you’ve gotten “stuck” on an issue or feel like something is holding you back from moving forward or being more successful. Brainspotting is also great for those who work in a field where they can’t talk about their job due to security or confidentiality concerns.

Who benefits from Brainspotting?